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Why Dogs Hump

"On a beautiful, warm afternoon, I watched a group of dogs frolic in a dog park. Suddenly, I heard a woman’s high-pitched yelp, followed by the pounding of human feet. There was no need to look; it was obviously about humping, which we can also refer to as mounting." So wrote Julie Hecht in her excellent review of humping by dogs. Indeed, because humping often often offends some people, Julie titled her essay "H*umping".

Mounting and humping by dogs are among those behavior patterns about which humans make lots of assumptions but we really don't know much about them. Dogs will mount and hump other dogs and other nonhuman animals (animals) from a wide variety of positions, human legs, and objects such as beach balls, water buckets, food bowls, pillows, and garbage pails without a care in the world. If you want to watch please do but an audience isn't necessary. Sometimes they hold on for upwards of 20-30 seconds and sometimes they just jump on and slide off and saunter away. And size doesn't matter.

While many humans feel embarrassed when they see a beloved four-legged friend mount and hump in public places, this behavior is a normal part of a dog’s behavioral repertoire. Both males and females mount and hump, and these behaviors first appear early in a dog’s life, particularly during play. Mounting and humping should not be considered abnormal behavior patterns.

While mounting is best known for its role in reproduction, it also occurs in many other contexts and emotional states. Dogs mount when they're excited and arousal and even when they're stressed and anxious. Take out the leash to go for a walk and Lassie starts humping Toto. You come home after a long day’s work and Spot goes for your leg.

Mounting could also be what ethologists call a displacement behavior, meaning that it's a byproduct of conflicted emotions. For some dogs a new visitor to the house could elicit a mixture of excitement and stress that could make for a humping dog. And as we might flip on the TV when we’re bored, some dogs develop the habit of mounting during downtime, getting better acquainted with a pillow. Mounting is also very common during play, sometimes as an attention-getter, an affiliative behavior, or when a dog is over-excited. I've seen dogs going "beserk", enjoying that "doggy fit" - running here and there and mounting and humping a friend and then a ball.

What about dominance and mounting? In a recent article on mounting, Peter Borchelt, Ph. D., a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) in New York City, noted, “Mounting could be part of a suite of behaviors associated with aggression, such as high posture, resource guarding, direct stares, and threats and standing over. But mounting, in and of itself, doesn’t indicate a status issue. By itself, mounting might not mean a lot.” (cited in Hecht, 2012).

In my own studies of the development of social behavior in young dogs, coyotes, and wolves, mounting, clasping, and humping were not directly related to dominance, nor were they associated with dominance for the wild coyotes my students and I studied in the Grand Teton National Park outside of Jackson,Wyoming.

I wonder if in some sitiations dogs mount and perhaps hump others when there are dogs around who can see them doing it. Years ago in a detailed study of urination patterns in dogs I could easily follow I discovered they often engaged in what I called "dry marking"; they'd lift a leg but wouldn't urinate. When I looked at the social situations in which this happened it turned out that dry marking occurred more when other dogs were around than when the dog was alone. I concluded that leg-lifting might be a visual signal in and of itself telling other individuals something like "I (the dog) just peed." It would be interesting to know if dogs mount and hump more when other dogs can see them, and if so, perhaps in some situations mounting and humping may have something to do with telling others about relative dominance.

Future research is also needed to detemine how often mounting leads to humping. We really don't know all that much about these behavior patterns and how often they're linked together so generalizations about what they mean to the dogs involved need to be put on hold.

The bigger question is, “What do mounting and humping mean to your dog?” To answer this question consider them in the context in one or the other or both occur. For example, what happens before mounting and how often and how long does it occur? If mounting suggests a dog is under-stimulated perhaps they could be provided with additional mental or physical activities. If mounting suggests anxiety it would be good to increase a dog’s comfort level in a particular situation, Or, if a dog gets overstimulated and goes bonkers or gets rude or impolite during social interactions with other dogs or people, it would be good to encourage mutually-beneficial interactions. Guardians (aka owners) can intervene in mounting and humping by getting the dog's attention-getting or by teaching an alternate behavior to assist the dog in their interactions with others.

Perhaps your dog mounts and/or humps only occasionally because they like to do it and can, and you can leave it at that. Let them be dogs.

Getting behind mounting and humping

Julie Hecht concludes her review of humping as follows: "When trying to get behind any behavior (pun intended), [Marc] Bekoff recommends becoming an at-home ethologist. 'Get a paper and pencil, and watch and record what happens before and after the behavior of interest. This can tell you more about the behavior itself.' This technique can help you determine when a behavior needs to be managed and when it’s just fine.

"If dogs could talk — and they actually are with their behavior — they’d ask us not to clump mounting into one universal meaning. So what’s your dog’s mounting behavior telling you?

"All in all, when we’re trying to figure out a behavior, we’re better served by observation and understanding of its roots than by the stories we tend to tell ourselves and others."

Clearly, there isn't a single explanation for mounting or humping. Mounting and humping are normal behavior patterns so let's not allow our own discomfort to get in the way of dogs doing what comes naturally. You can turn away, pretend it isn't happening, or giggle nervously and, as I wrote above, let them be dogs. One thing's for sure, dogs hump because they can.

The teaser image and the one of the small dog mounting the large dog can be found here, and the dog on the hog can be found here.

I have noticed that in the late afternoon my doggie gets very playful, and right before she reaches for her toys, she will approach me in this manner, humping my arm while i am stretching on the floor, and I've come to the conclusion, it signals, come on, I want to play!

I appreciate this article. So many people think that a dog is being "perverted" or "dominant" and abuse the dog in response to his/her humping. I do think it is important to note, however, that many dogs do not want to be mounted. It can be considered dangerous behavior in a dog park. It also is considered bad manners, so discourage it by distracting the dog and, as you said, teaching another behavior. Also, neuter your dog so he is less likely to do it!!!

I agree that "Mounting and humping are normal behavior patterns" but "normal" does not equate with good, socially desirable nor and indication that the individual is well adjusted.

Except when used in a "social context". It is very common in domestic dogs for mounting and token humping when it comes to "establishing a social hierarchy" (aka "dominance") . While it is more common for a dog to do this by placing it's chin or one front leg over the other animals shoulder, 'mounting' is another very common behaviour. If the other dog 'accepts' this then the hierarchical relationship is set and no more is done. If it doesn't it usually ends in a fight.

But though it is normal, is it good in the wider social context?
After all sexual harassment is common in the human workforce and for many years we females were called many unpleasant names IF we objected to this behaviour. Well, after all, the blokes are just establishing their social position over the females! Yep, and now with Women's Lib and more women in 'positions of power' we see sexual harassment of blokes from their female superiors :-(

Then humans tend to keep their dogs in very 'unnatural' conditions. Crating a dog every day for hours at a time, inside a house, while the owner is away at work seems to be 'normal' in US society, but it is hardly any more natural for a dog than being locked into small cages at zoos in natural for primates, big cats, bears etc. (But at least the zoo animals get to see the people walking by looking at them instead of gazing all day at a sofa.) I really pity the lot of these dogs.

The animals see few others of their own species in unsupervised interactions, so they must become incredibly frustrated as well as totally socially inept. ("What to do? What a worry! Well I used to hump my littermates when I was a wee puppy so that's what I'll do with these other grown-up dogs!")

We see these animals with problem stereotypies. Maybe excessive humping should be seen in dogs as a clear signal that there is something that needs to be modified in its environment.

Boredom, loneliness, frustration and urinary tract health. Is it healthy for a dog to not urinate all day but need to wait for an owners arrival to take it outside, on leash for a "Potty Break"?

No wonder so many 'little dogs' resort to humping while their silly owners look on admiringly at their 'furkid' being 'manly'. (Of course they also admire their furkid being feisty :-(

It's odd isn't it, that in little dogs it is seen as cute wen it tries to hump a big dog, but not at all the same when Bullmastiff/Rottie/German Shepherd tries to hump little Fluffy. THEN it is seen as aggression and might get the Big Dog destroyed :-(

Its very heartening to read Marc Bekoff's article. I myself am very much into observing when and where with my own dogs. People suggest that dogs shouldn't be allowed to hump other dogs in the park because it is considered rude/frightening to the dog on the receivig end. This leads me to wonder - which dog has the problem - the dog that is humping, as a natural behaviour - or the dog that finds it threatening? It would be interesting to hear people's thoughts :)

Glad to have found this article as I was searching for info on this. My 7 year old GSD Male (not castrated) have been humping my 1 1/2 year old GSD male also not castrated. This behaviour started 4 days ago. The 7 year old GSD acts as if the 1 1/2 year is a female. He even eats less. When I split them he sits at the fence all the time. This is not now and then that he wants to hump it is all the time if they are together. Have since split them up most of the time. But when I open the gate it carries on. My 7 year old GSD male have never mated, neither has the 1 1/2 year old. I always have my bitches sterilized as we do not breed. The 1 1/2 year old is very subservient as the 7 year old is the pack leader and he disciplined the 1 1/2 year old from day one showing he is Alpha in the pack.

I do see this behaviour that just turned up overnight as abnormal as I have never experienced this in 20 years of keeping GSD dogs as pets and guard dogs. The behaviour in your article is normal for pack dogs indeed. Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you.